Earl of Effingham

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Earl of Effingham

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

29 November 2024

Dear Lord Effingham,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many farmers committed suicide in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, and (3) 2024 to date (HL2788).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual suicide death registration statistics for England and Wales[1]; the latest available figures were published in August 2024 and covered calendar years up to 2023. Also published regularly are provisional statistics on suicide death registrations by quarter in England[2], the most recent of which were published in August 2024 and provided provisional death registrations up to Quarter 2 (April to June) 2024. The ONS holds death registrations for England and Wales only; separate figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland and are available from the National Records of Scotland (NRS)[3] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)[4], respectively.

The ONS’ mortality statistics for England and Wales are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. Deaths caused by suicide are investigated by coroners, and due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, there is delay of around six to seven months between the date of death and the date of death registration. As such, deaths are presented by date of registration rather than date of occurrence. With the deaths statistics linked above and provided in Table 1, many of these will have occurred months or, in some cases, years previously.

Occupation is reported at the time of death registration by the informant. Data on occupation is coded using the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC). For deaths registered from 2023 onwards SOC 2020[5] is used for coding, for deaths registered prior to 2023 it was SOC 2010[6]. The recorded occupation likely reflects the deceased’s main lifetime occupation or their occupation at the time of death.

The number of suicides by sex, country and occupation, deaths registered 2011 to 2021 can be found on the ONS website[7]. The numbers of suicides among farmers between 2022 and 2023 can be found in Table 1. Data for 2024 deaths registrations is not yet available.

Table 1: Number of suicides in farmers aged 20 to 64 years, in England and Wales combined, deaths registered between 2022 and 2023[8],[9],[10].

Farmers are identified by combining the following occupation groups: managers and proprietors in agriculture and horticulture (SOC code: 1211), farmers (SOC code: 5111), agricultural and fishing trades not elsewhere classified (SOC code: 5119), agricultural machinery drivers (SOC 2010 code: 8223), farm workers (SOC code: 9111) and fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified (SOC code: 9119).

Please note the numbers detailed here cannot be used to ascertain the risk of suicide among occupations, as relative suicide rates accounting for population size of occupation groups are not provided. Differences in numbers of deaths may merely reflect the underlying population structure as opposed to differences in risk.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2023

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland/2001to2023registrationsandquarter1jantomartoquarter2aprtojune2024provisionaldata

[3]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-suicides-2023/

[4]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/cause-death/suicide-deaths

[5]https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/standardoccupationalclassificationsoc/soc2020

[6]https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/standardoccupationalclassificationsoc/soc2010

[7]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/15043suicidebyoccupationenglandandwales2011to2021registrations

[8]Figures are based on the National Statistics definition of suicide for those aged 20 to 64 years; this includes deaths from intentional self-harm and deaths caused by injury or poisoning where the intent was undetermined.

[9]The area is based on the persons usual residence as provided by the informant upon registration. Figures for England and Wales combined (area code K04000001) include death of non-residents.

[10]Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, the deaths presented here may have occurred months, or even years, before they were registered.

We hear the concerns that have been raised around the changes to inheritance tax rules.

This Government will give mental health the same focus as physical health, which is why we are recruiting 8,500 new mental health support workers.

Changes to APR are designed to be fair and sustainable in the long term, and they will not affect most farmers.

Defra has a range of initiatives aimed at supporting farmer’s mental health and wellbeing more generally and we will continue to work with a range of farming charities to ensure that changes in policy are delivered effectively. We have provided £500,000 of funding to deliver projects through specialist organisations to support farmer’s mental health and wellbeing. We will continue to look for opportunities to support farmers and will host a roundtable in December with expert organisations to understand the issues causing mental ill-health in farming communities. Defra’s Farming & Countryside Programme blog also has information relating to external wellbeing services available specifically to farmers and rural communities.

We understand that farmers face numerous challenges which can affect their wellbeing. Recently, we have continued funding support for TB affected farmers and their families through the Farming Community Network, which will provide a national, free-to-access business and pastoral advice service. We will also pay out £60 million through the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers affected by the unprecedented extreme wet weather last winter.

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the UK’s principal carbon pricing mechanism and covers the manufacturing of fertiliser. However, in recent years, UK-based fertiliser manufacturers have received more free allowances than they needed to surrender to cover their emissions.

The government will introduce the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027, as first announced in December 2023, meaning imported fertiliser will also be covered by a carbon price. The UK CBAM rate charged on imports will reflect the carbon price paid by domestic industries after support mechanisms (such as free allowances) have been taken into account. As a result, we expect initial liabilities arising from the UK CBAM to be relatively low whilst encouraging the supply and use of fertiliser with lower levels of embodied carbon than would otherwise have been the case.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

The reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27 paying more inheritance tax. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

The Government is committed to supporting farmers and agricultural workers in accessing the support that they need to protect their mental health as they undertake the vital work of producing food and looking after the environment. For example, through its Farming and Countryside Programme, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) already works with a range of farming charities, including the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Yellow Wellies charity, which have highlighted mental health challenges for farming communities. Defra provides £500,000 of funding to help farming welfare charities support farmers.

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

The reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27 paying more inheritance tax. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

The Government is committed to supporting farmers and agricultural workers in accessing the support that they need to protect their mental health as they undertake the vital work of producing food and looking after the environment. For example, through its Farming and Countryside Programme, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) already works with a range of farming charities, including the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Yellow Wellies charity, which have highlighted mental health challenges for farming communities. Defra provides £500,000 of funding to help farming welfare charities support farmers.

The Government has noted the trend observed in external analysis and commentary of relative decreased investment from pension funds in UK companies.

That is why the Chancellor has announced a landmark pensions review as a part of the Government’s mission to boost economic growth and investment in the UK. Under plans unveiled by the new Chancellor, billions of pounds of investment could be unlocked in the UK economy from defined contribution schemes alone. Defined contribution schemes will be managing around £800 billion in assets by the end of the decade and the Review will explore ways to increase their investment into UK productive assets. The Review will also look at how to unlock the investment potential of the £360 billion within the Local Government Pension Scheme, which manages the savings of those working to deliver our vital local services, as well as how to tackle the £2 billion that is being spent on fees.